About the Crown Center

The Crown Center is committed to conducting balanced and dispassionate research of the modern Middle East that meets the highest academic standards. In addition, the Center seeks to help make decision- and opinion-makers better informed about the region. The scope of the Center’s research includes the 22 members of the Arab League as well as Turkey, Iran, and Israel. The Crown Center’s approach is multi-disciplinary in its study of the politics, economics, history, security, sociology, and anthropology of the region’s states and societies.

The Center's research staff reflects its broad geopolitical focus. During its 14 years of operation, scholars with high-level expertise about Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the smaller GCC states, as well as Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya, have conducted research at the Center. In addition to hosting conferences, seminars, and workshops, the Center publishes the Middle East Brief series, which are concise analyses of contemporary developments and events in the Middle East. The Center's core faculty also teach undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in numerous departments at Brandeis University.